Iran 'manipulating' Turkey, Brazil in nuclear deal: Israel

A senior Israeli official today accused Iran of "manipulating" Turkey and Brazil over a deal to swap part of its low enriched uranium in Turkey.

A senior Israeli official on Monday accused Iran of "manipulating" Turkey and Brazil over a deal to swap part of its low enriched uranium in Turkey.

"The Iranians have manipulated Turkey and Brazil in appearing to accept the enrichment of part of their uranium on Turkish soil," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The Iranians have already pulled off such a trick in the past -- by pretending to accept such a procedure to lower tensions and reduce the risk of harsher international sanctions, then refusing to follow through," he said.

Top diplomats from Iran, Brazil and Turkey on Monday inked a deal which will allow Tehran to swap its low-enriched uranium in return for nuclear fuel in an exchange to take place on Turkish soil.

The official said the Iranian initiative was likely to "complicate issues" for world powers looking to rein in Iran's nuclear programme.

"It is going to be much more difficult for the United States or the Europeans to reject this arrangement because it's no longer just about Iran, which is a much easier situation to manage," he said.